


Under My Skin

by theycallmethejackal



Series: Upon My Sleeve [2]
Category: The West Wing
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:13:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22414564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theycallmethejackal/pseuds/theycallmethejackal
Summary: Scenes from Amy & Sam's relationship as begun in Upon My Sleeve. Scenes will not occur in order.
Relationships: Amy Gardner/Sam Seaborn
Series: Upon My Sleeve [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1613155
Kudos: 19





	1. Three Months

**Author's Note:**

> I have got you deep in the heart of me,  
> so deep in my heart that you're really a part of me.  
> I've got you under my skin.
> 
> Frank Sinatra, Under My Skin

“That place was terrible.” His fingers are laced through his ranting girlfriend’s as they walk down the street together. “No, I’m serious. I don’t understand why people have been raving about it for weeks!”

Sam laughs again, releasing his girlfriend’s hand and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. “What kind of sadist charges thirty dollars for one tiny little bite of… liquified shrimp?” Amy continues.

“I’m with you there. That was some of the weirdest dining I’ve ever experienced,” he concedes.

“And what was that music?” She barrels on, gesturing with the hand that hasn’t found a home on Sam’s hip. “It was like they were playing the same weird techno song over and over again.”

“With the bass turned up so high I could feel it in my skull,” he adds. He’s been dating her for the last three months and has known her for nigh on fifteen years, and he’s still discovering new things about her. For example, she can put away a twelve ounce steak in ten minutes and still have room for dessert, and she can rant for days. Sure, he’s heard her launch into arguments for long periods of time at work, but this kind of tirade is different – he finds it incredibly endearing.

“I’m still so hungry,” she laments, her free hand on her stomach.

“Well lucky for you I called to order pizza while you were in the bathroom,” he reveals.

Amy turns her head to look at him, her eyes lighting up hopefully. “Really?”

“Would I joke about pizza after that nightmare?” Sam asks, raising his eyebrows.

“Oh my god, I love you,” she groans, leaning into him, her forehead against his shoulder.

He smiles at that, turning his head to kiss the top of hers before pulling her to face him as he stops walking. “I don’t know if you realize this,” he says, slipping his arms around her waist, “but that’s the first time you’ve said that to me.”

She skims her hands up his arms until she can grip his elbows gently. “Huh,” she replies with a smirk. “Go figure.”

“Did you mean it?”

Slowly her lips curl into a smile and she nods slowly. “Yeah, I did,” she tells him confidently.

“Well it’s about time,” he teases her with a smile, causing her to laugh.

“What do you mean _it’s about time_?” She scoffs as she playfully swats at his chest with one hand.

He gently brushes back a piece of her hair with his fingers. “I’m pretty sure I’ve been in love with you since the first time you kissed me.”

Amy’s smile grows a little wicked at that. “I always knew I was a good kisser,” she jokes. “Think I should use my superpower to get Gaines on board with 143?”

“I’d prefer you didn’t,” he tells her, pulling her a little closer.

She rolls her eyes sarcastically. “I’ll just have to use my brain then.”

“ _That’s_ your superpower,” he murmurs, leaning in and kissing her slowly, pressing her against the post behind her. She arches into him and smiles against his mouth as her hands grip the opening of his jacket.

They part after kissing for longer than is probably appropriate in a public place and she links her arm through his, steering him toward her apartment at a much quicker pace than previously. “What’s the hurry?” He asks through his laughter.

She laughs along with him without breaking her gait. “Pizza!”


	2. Eight Months

“Sam, you missed the turn.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Honey, I’ve lived in that apartment since before President Bartlet was elected. I’m pretty sure I know how to get home.”

“We’re not going to your apartment.”

She looks at her boyfriend in confusion. “We have to be back at the White House in an hour, and as much as I like this dress, it’s really not appropriate for a State Dinner,” she explains.

“I put your dress in the trunk when I let Henry out this morning. It’s in Donna’s office,” he tells her.

“So then we didn’t need to leave the White House,” she reasons. “Where are we going?”

Sam stops the car and extends his arm behind her seat, leaning in close to her, his other hand gently squeezing her knee. “You trust me, right?”

“At this very moment, I’m not sure,” she intones.

“Amy.”

“Yes, of course I trust you,” she concedes with a playful eye roll.

“Then just _go with it_ ,” he insists, matching her expression.

She takes a deep breath and sighs through her nose before nodding. “Okay,” she agrees, her hand finding his as she nods.

“My lease is up next month,” he tells her. “I took the place because it was available on short notice, but it’s not a great apartment – “

“And here I thought all those sleepovers were just because you like me,” she quips.

“That too,” he replies with a smile before giving her a quick kiss. He turns off the car and gets out, prompting her to do the same.

He meets her by the passenger door, where she’s stepped out to meet him.

In front of her is a two-story stone townhouse with dark wooden stairs leading up to a front porch. “It’s beautiful,” she tells him as she follows him up the stairs. Upon entering, she finds a beautiful, bright space. There’s a sitting area that leads directly to a kitchen and a breakfast nook.

“So this thing we’re doing – “

“Our relationship, you mean?” She quips with a grin as she moves toward the kitchen. There’s a marble-top island set up with stools, and all the appliances look new. In fact, the house looks like it’s been recently renovated.

“Yeah,” he replies with a smile, following her through the space. “I think it’s been going really well.”

“I wholeheartedly concur,” she says with a nod as she continues to inspect the space. There’s a laundry room off the kitchen and a patio out back with a decently sized yard considering they’re in Georgetown.

On the second floor she’s surprised to find three bedrooms including a spacious master suite at the back of the house. She steps out the back door in the bedroom to a small balcony. “What do you think?” She hears Sam ask from the doorway.

Amy turns around and leans on the railing. “It’s a beautiful house, but do you really need this much space?” She asks.

“ _I_ don’t,” he replies, and is she imagining things or does he look nervous? “But I wouldn’t plan on living here alone.”

It’s then that she realizes why she’s here. She finds herself speechless, and after a long moment he finally jumps in.

“There’s a fenced-in yard,” he explains. “So we can just open the door and let Henry out in the morning.” He turns and goes back into the house, prompting her to follow him. “There are two closets in the master. An attached garage. It’s a five-minute drive to the White House – we could walk to work when it’s nice out.”

She leans on the door frame and watches his nervous excitement. He continues listing off the many benefits of the house. “There are two extra bedrooms for…guests.”

Amy doesn’t miss the way he stumbles to choose that last word, and she finds the corner of her lip twitching into a grin. She shifts off the door frame and goes to him, taking his hands. “Sam, it’s a beautiful house,” she repeats. “But I'm sure we'd be paying a small fortune in rent.”

“I don't want to rent,” he informs her, stunning her yet again. “We’ve both made a lot of money in the private sector over the years, and our White House salaries still aren’t anything to sneeze at. It’s not going to be a financial struggle.”

“What about when we leave the White House?” She asks. “Don’t you want to run for office again someday?”

He looks at her in a way that has her knees weakening. “My priority is you,” he tells her with a stunning lack of hesitation. “You are not a California girl,” he reasons, and she can’t say she disagrees. The two weeks she spent working on his campaign in Orange Country proved once and for all that she belongs on the east coast.

Amy looks at him in awe. “You’d be willing to give up the opportunity to run for office again so I don’t have to live in California?” She asks incredulously.

He shrugs at that. “It’s a small price to pay,” he reasons. “I just want to be wherever you are.”

“I…” She tries to find words, but then she just sighs with a smile. “I want to be wherever you are,” she finally repeats back to him. “And if that means we have to split our time between California and D.C., then that’s what we’ll do,” she promises. “I don’t want you to sacrifice a potential dream job just because I’m not built for year-round summer. So when the opportunity comes around – and it will,” she insists. “We’ll talk about it.”

“Absolutely,” he agrees with a gentle nod.

She nods back before turning to head into the master bath, which has a shower and a separate tub as well as his-and-hers sinks, and then she looks at the closets, both of which are walk-ins, and if she had made a checklist for house hunting, she would be able to check off every box with this one.

She goes back into the bedroom, where she finds him waiting with his hands in his pockets. “What do you think?” He asks.

“I think Henry’s going to love the yard.” She smiles widely, and he strides toward her with a smile of his own before taking her face in his hands and kissing her soundly. She slips her arms around his waist, and he eventually wraps her in a hug, just holding her tightly against him. “Sam?” She murmurs after a long moment in his arms.

“Yeah?” He asks quietly.

“Guests… would be nice,” she admits softly before pressing a tender kiss to his neck.


End file.
